Representing Business in the Fox Valley
Effective January 1, 2015, Illinois legislature enacted a law that requires private employers with 15 or more employees to remove “the box” on their employment applications which asks whether or not the applicant has been convicted of a felony. Thus the name “Ban the Box”. Some employers ask that potential applicants complete an employment...
Unfortunately it sometimes takes a tragedy such as the recent shooting of Nadia Ezaldein at Nordstrom store by her ex-boyfriend, Marcus Dee, to make us as business owners think about what we could have done to prevent this from happening in our place of business. Fortunately, the State of Illinois has 2 little known laws in place that can offer...
On June 30th, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of three family-owned businesses, with the majority of the court saying that businesses can refuse to pay for certain forms of contraception they find “morally repugnant.” At issue are four contraceptives known as abortifacients which are contraceptives that prevent ovum implantation or cause a...
Recently the Obama administration, along with the Department of Labor, have proposed expanding the definition of spouse to allow legally married same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Family Military Leave Act. This means that if same-sex couples were married in a state that has...
This is a three part informative series for Non-Citizens of the United States discussing options to incorporate and obtain work visas. Business ownership has become a sub-plot to the modern “American Dream.” Entrepreneurs from all over the United States are eager to bring their ideas to life in an effort to achieve success. However, business...
The year 2014 brings many changes that affect not only the workplace but how you conduct business in Illinois. On July 9th, 2013, Illinois became the last state to allow individuals to carry concealed weapons. Although it became law in 2013, we are just now feeling the effects of its enactment. Over 23,000 people in Illinois have applied for...
To avoid being sued for not paying overtime is to follow some basic principles and policies. Make sure that you, your Supervisors and your Employees clearly understand the overtime policy. There should be no “comp time” and no Off-the-Clock work with a nudge and a wink. Using Comp Time is not an acceptable way of avoiding overtime claims. ...
On March 8, 2013, the government released a revised Employment and Eligibility Verification Form I-9 which employers must use effective immediately. To obtain the new form you can use this link http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf. This link provides the new form and instructions on appropriate verification documentation and how to complete...
By Christina Stoneburner on August 29, 2013 Posted in Family Medical Leave Act, Gay Marriage, General Employment Matters When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”) in U.S. v. Windsor, we advised that there would be sweeping implications to employers from everything from benefits enrollment to FMLA entitlements. ...
Secretary of State John Kerry announced that “effective immediately” same-sex spouses applying for Visas will be treated in the same manner as opposite-sex spouses. For example, if you are the same-sex spouse of a US Citizen, or a noncitizen your Visa application will be considered equally as if you were an opposite-sex couple. The fair and...